Overview

Birding has become one of the world’s most popular pastimes for good reason. The vibrant colors, aerial finesse, and vocal talents of birds draw us to nature, stimulate our admiration and pique our curiosity. We cannot help but have questions as we encounter these elegant creatures. How do iridescent feathers seemingly glow? What must a hummingbird do to hover? How does a tiny animal produce all that music? By what means do some birds sense Earth’s magnetic field and use it for navigation? Why is it that peering through a few pieces of glass can make a distant bird seem so close? Such enquiry brings us to the realm of physics. The Physics of Birds and Birding sets out to blaze the best possible trail through this landscape. It steers clear complex technical specialization, while avoiding overused paths that lead to unsatisfying, facile explanations. It is a guide not just to the fascinating science of birds and birding, but to the deeper connections that tie all of nature together. Birders and naturalists from all backgrounds will find much of interest here – both in terms of mysteries they’ve long wondered about, as well as some surprising linkages among what is seemingly unrelated. This unique and remarkable book is an invitation to appreciate what you might not have been seeing all along.

Full Product Details

9781784273071

Table of Contents

Reviews

Masterful... Few people could write a book on this subject and very, very few could do it anything like as well as this author. -- Mark Avery, author and environmental campaigner

Masterful... Few people could write a book on this subject and very, very few could do it anything like as well as this author. -- Mark Avery, author and environmental campaigner I’m not going to repeat what the publishers say, except that I agree with their claims, and congratulated them on publishing this addition of birding lore… They say that Inuit peoples have dozens of words for snow… subtleties missed by those of us whose lives are not so interwoven with a frozen habitat… and this author embodies insights no less subtle. -- Bo Beolens * Fatbirder *

Masterful... Few people could write a book on this subject and very, very few could do it anything like as well as this author. -- Mark Avery, author and environmental campaigner I’m not going to repeat what the publishers say, except that I agree with their claims, and congratulated them on publishing this addition of birding lore… They say that Inuit peoples have dozens of words for snow… subtleties missed by those of us whose lives are not so interwoven with a frozen habitat… and this author embodies insights no less subtle. -- Bo Beolens * Fatbirder * Many birds choose when to migrate by detecting subtle changes in barometric pressure... Many species can even see into the ultraviolet... Those of us with inquisitive minds cannot help but wonder how they do these things. Now, The Physics of Birds and Birding by retired physicist Michael Hurben covers all of these wonders and more. -- David Norman * Physics World * Fascinating! ...the book offers a wealth of insights that can give birding interest even more depth and fascination. -- Hans Meltofte * Journal of the Danish Ornithological Society *

Masterful... Few people could write a book on this subject and very, very few could do it anything like as well as this author. -- Mark Avery, author and environmental campaigner I’m not going to repeat what the publishers say, except that I agree with their claims, and congratulated them on publishing this addition of birding lore… They say that Inuit peoples have dozens of words for snow… subtleties missed by those of us whose lives are not so interwoven with a frozen habitat… and this author embodies insights no less subtle. -- Bo Beolens * Fatbirder * Many birds choose when to migrate by detecting subtle changes in barometric pressure... Many species can even see into the ultraviolet... Those of us with inquisitive minds cannot help but wonder how they do these things. Now, The Physics of Birds and Birding by retired physicist Michael Hurben covers all of these wonders and more. -- David Norman * Physics World *

Author Information

Michael Hurben is uniquely qualified to guide the curious through the exotic habitat where physics and birding intersect. He earned his PhD in physics from Colorado State University in 1996 and has accumulated a life list exceeding 5,000 bird species – despite being legally blind. His career has included award-winning teaching at the college level and decades of cutting-edge, nanoscale engineering in the high-tech magnetic recording industry. He and his wife Claire live in Minnesota.

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